Public schools in South Carolina

The NCES directory lists 1,277 public schools operating in South Carolina in 2024-25; 1,183 of them reported 774,120 students, averaging 13.9 students per teacher, tied for 25th with Georgia and Hawaii of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts (the mean of its schools' ratios); Tennessee did not. Its largest district is Greenville County Schools, with 77,330 students in 2024-25.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23 · method

Schools1,183671 elementary, 242 middle, 240 high, 30 other
Students774,1201.6% of U.S. public-school students
Students per teacher13.9U.S. 15.3

South Carolina has fewer students per teacher than the U.S. average

South Carolina ranks 25th of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts, counting from the most students per teacher; below, it is shown with the states ranked just above and below it. The full ranking of all 51 is on the states page.

  1. Mississippi14.0
  2. Georgia13.9
  3. Hawaii13.9
  4. South Carolina13.9
  5. Virginia13.8
  6. Arkansas13.5
  7. Illinois13.5

Eight in ten larger South Carolina districts spent between $11,856 and $18,483 per student

Among the 70 South Carolina districts with at least 1,000 students, one in ten spent less than $11,856 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 and one in ten spent more than $18,483; the median was $14,223. Each tick below is one district: the spread shows how far apart the state's districts are, which a statewide average hides.

Current spending per student, South Carolina districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-2370 values from $10,765 to $23,863; ; state median $14,223.$11,856$18,483the middle eight in ten$10k$20k$30kcurrent spending per studentstate median $14,223
Current spending per student, South Carolina districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-2370 values from $10,765 to $23,863; ; state median $14,223.$11,856$18,483the middle eight in ten$10k$20k$30kcurrent spending per studentstate median $14,223
Current spending per student, South Carolina districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-2370 values from $10,765 to $23,863; ; state median $14,223.$11,856$18,483the middle eight in ten$10k$20k$30kcurrent spending per studentstate median $14,223
Current spending per student, South Carolina districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-2370 values from $10,765 to $23,863; ; state median $14,223.$11,856$18,483the middle eight in ten$10k$20k$30kcurrent spending per studentstate median $14,223

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: mean of school ratios from 3 to 99, schools open that year; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures over fall membership, districts with at least 1,000 students.

State test results, 2022-23

In 2022-23, 58.2% of the South Carolina students tested met the state's reading standard and 43% its math standard. South Carolina writes its own tests and sets its own standard, so these compare South Carolina's districts and schools with each other, not with other states; each district and school page gives its own results beside these. Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 83.8% of 59,540 students.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2022-23 and four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students.

In the South Carolina almanac

  1. 01Every school district

    Directory, 2024-25

  2. 02Largest schools

    Largest: SC Connections Academy, 6,152 students (By 2024-25 enrollment)

  3. 03Fewest students per teacher

    Fewest: Washington Center, 4.9 students per teacher (Schools, 2024-25)

  4. 04Highest-spending districts

    Highest: McCormick 01, $25,641 per student (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  5. 05Teacher salary spending by district

    Highest: McCormick County Schools, $83,878 of salary spending per teacher (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  6. 06Chronic absenteeism

    Lowest: M. S. Bailey Child Development Center, 0.7% chronically absent (EDFacts 2022-23)

  7. 07Schools by resource index

    Highest index: John C. Calhoun Elementary, 73 of 100 (CCD and CRDC)

  8. 08Districts by resource index

    Highest index: York 04, 58.1 of 100 on average (CCD and CRDC)

Largest districts in South Carolina

  1. Greenville County Schools77,330
  2. Charleston County School District49,755
  3. Horry County Schools48,662
  4. Berkeley County School District38,345
  5. Richland School District 228,841
  6. Lexington County School District One26,608
  7. Dorchester 0225,928
  8. Aiken 0122,382

Every South Carolina school district, with a find box →

Source: Largest districts: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, students in the district's schools open that year.

Cities with the most public schools

  1. Columbia47,311 students74 schools
  2. Greenville40,438 students49 schools
  3. Charleston19,250 students31 schools
  4. North Charleston18,591 students29 schools
  5. Spartanburg15,617 students28 schools
  6. Summerville27,883 students26 schools
  7. Rock Hill18,461 students26 schools
  8. Myrtle Beach24,456 students25 schools
  9. Florence15,297 students21 schools
  10. Anderson13,484 students21 schools
  11. Sumter12,894 students20 schools
  12. Lexington19,372 students20 schools

All cities →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: a school counts under the city in its mailing address, so a large city's count takes in suburbs that share its postal name.

Questions about South Carolina's public schools

  1. How many public schools are in South Carolina?
    The NCES directory lists 1,277 operating in 2024-25; 1,183 of them reported students: 671 elementary, 242 middle, 240 high and 30 other, enrolling 774,120 students (NCES Common Core of Data).
  2. What is the average student-teacher ratio in South Carolina?
    13.9 students per full-time teacher in 2024-25, against 15.3 for the U.S.; the mean of school ratios for schools open that year.
  3. What is the largest school district in South Carolina?
    Greenville County Schools, with 77,330 students in its schools in 2024-25 (NCES Common Core of Data).
  4. How much does South Carolina spend per public-school student?
    $14,349 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, summed over its districts (NCES F-33).

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership and staff files · 2024-25

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District membership and spending · FY 2022-23

Compiled from official source data by .